Sleep Becomes Her
by RockChalkLove
Summary: A collection of one-shots in which Kate falls asleep.
1. Chapter 1

He found her, body gently folded over the table, her head pillowed on one of her arms that had been haphazardly extended across the surface. He smiled softly at the sight of Kate finally taking a break from the case that had been consuming her for the last 40 hours.

Ever since getting the call about the crime, she had been working non-stop to find the killer of the 5-year-old boy that had been discovered half buried in a playground sandbox. He had never doubted her passion for speaking for the dead, but this case re-affirmed his beliefs. It spurred something deep within her and he couldn't think about a time since they arrived at the crime scene where she had even stopped for a second to think about anything else. Even for the brief period the night before he had returned to his loft to rest up, he doesn't believe she did the same considering he found her this morning in the exact clothes she was wearing the day before, only slightly more disheveled on her thin frame.

He had watched her closely all day as she went from murder board to interviews to medical examiner's office and back. Around 10 this morning was when he noticed that the smudges of blue that had been residing under her eyes seemed to turn a shade darker than before. It was at 12:30, when he had tried to have her re-energize with something else other than coffee and had put a half of his sandwich in her hand, that he witnessed her leaving it uneaten and forgotten on the edge of Espo's desk. Finally, after catching her swaying slightly in exhaustion as she had studied the timeline just half an hour ago, he bullied her into the conference room with print outs of the parent's finances to have her at least sit while he ran out to find her some food.

That was where he found her; seemingly having finally lost her battle with the natural pull of sleep. When he realized he had been standing next to her desk gazing at her sleeping form for the last several minutes, he jerked to awareness and glanced around bullpen wondering if anyone had witnessed his lovesickness. He wasn't surprised to find it empty. It was, he realized as he checked his watch, almost 10:45 at night; well past the time that many detectives and officers usually stuck around.

He sighed and set the bag of take-out Chinese, one of her favorites, silently down on her desk and made his way into the conference room. The papers he had left her studying were now buried under her form, one with a spot of drool that had made its way down from the corner of her mouth.

_She's gorgeous even when she drools_, he thought as he came to a stop at the chair next to the one she was currently residing in. He couldn't help himself as one of his hands reached out and swept a lock of her hair that had fallen out of her pony tail and into her face. The decision was quickly regretted when she immediately drew in a deep breath of awakened-ness.

"Castle?" she sighed, her breath fanning across his withdrawing hand. Her eyes blinked open and flitted over to rest upon his face, "How long have I been asleep?"

He found himself staring stupidly at her. _Answer her you idiot_. He couldn't get any response, no matter how simple, past his suddenly dry lips. The way she was gazing at him through half-mast lids was doing something strange to him. His fierce detective was allowing him to see this softer, sleepy side of herself that she rarely showed people at all.

Suddenly she sat up, the arm she hadn't been resting on following her. He watched as she used the sleeve of the sweater she had previously switched her blazer out for to swipe at the trail of crustiness left by her earlier drool. She glanced at him shyly out of the corner of her eye, seemingly embarrassed by the thought of him having seen the dribble. She muttered an '_ugh'_ as she hid her face, now tinted slightly pink, in her hands.

"Would you quit staring at me? I know I probably look like a mess right now, but I'm sure your mother taught you better than to gawk at people when they're not at their best." Kate smoothed her palms over her face and up into her hair in an attempt to tame the fly-aways. Her glare gave Castle the initiative to finally find his voice.

"You're beautiful." _Shit._ "I mean, you look great when you're drooling." _Double shit. Get yourself together, man. _"I uh, well…" He trailed off as her gaze softened and a small smile began to grace her lips. "I-I just got back. You must have fallen asleep while I was out. Couldn't have been more than thirty minutes." His eyes left her for the first time since spotting her asleep.

"I shouldn't have done that. No time. This case needs to be solved." Kate stood up from her spot and started gathering up the papers that she had spread out on the table.

Castle laid a hand on her forearm, halting her movements. "No, Kate, you need to take a break. Just a few hours to sleep, something to eat. The case will still be here in the morning." _Please Kate_.

"No," Kate stressed as she shook her head, "Castle, you don't understand, I _need_ to solve this case. That little boy…" Her voice cracked as she trailed off and she closed her eyes as the images from the crime scene came flooding to the front of her thoughts.

"Hey-," Castle brought her attention back to their conversation with the brush of his thumb against the peek of skin from beneath her sweater. "I _know_. No child should have to go through what this little boy did. That doesn't mean you need to risk your health over this. You need food and sleep so you can be back to your best and solve this. No one will criticize you for taking a break."

They held eye contact for a minute before Kate visibly gave in. "Come on," Castle said, leading her forward with a hand at the small of her back, "I'll take you home."

As they boarded the elevator after collecting their things, Kate wrapped her arms around one of his and rested her head on his shoulder with a sigh. _I love you_, the unspoken thought of them both as the doors closed and they began their descent.

_**Love to hear your thoughts. -RockChalkLove**_


	2. Chapter 2

_Gorgeous_: his one and only thought at the moment. The clear, sunny sky, the deep blue ocean water, the gentle breeze making swirls in the sand here and there, and of course, her heavenly body laid out in the middle of it all.

He had been watching her sun bathe for the last several hours - _not_ in a creepy way. The staring had been interspersed by typing away every once in a while, working on his latest novel. He couldn't think of a reason one would criticize him for his blatant ogling, she was simply, well, _gorgeous_.

Ever since she had walked out from the Hamptons house in that tiny bikini that left very little to the imagination, he had been thoroughly distracted from his work. Not that he had to imagine anything about her figure anymore after the last few months they had spent asmore than_ just partners_.

She had laughed at his gapping mouth and wide eyes at her choice in her beach-wear when she had stepped out onto the deck, "You're going to let flies in, babe." She tapped the bottom of his chin and bent at the waist to catch his open lips with hers, taking the opportunity to sweep her tongue across the circumference of his mouth.

"No flies will get in if you stay here just like this," he reasoned, wrapping a hand around her hip and nudging his fingers into one of the dimples in her lower back. He captured her lips in one last quick kiss just before she straightened up.

"_You_ need to write. _I_ have been looking forward to getting a little color since you suggested this little weekend get-away." She had giggled as she untangled his fingers from their grasp, "Give me a couple hours and if you promise to get some work done, I'll let you be the one to take this suit off of me. And…" she leaned a little closer and brought her voice down to a whisper, "you can keep your mouth open for as long as you want _and_ use any part of my body to block the flies from flying in." She smirked as she used his stunned silence to turn on the spot and make her way down to the beach.

He was in love with her, that little minx. From her severe stubbornness to the freckles that dusted her shoulders. Castle could no longer imagine life without the ability to hold her in his arms whenever he pleased… or at least whenever he pleased and they weren't at the precinct.

His mind was clouded by thoughts of ambushing her at the 12th while he had watched her sun bathing. Suddenly, however, they were interrupted when she sat up and stripped herself of the top half of her suit, allowing him only a glance at her curves before she flipped over to expose her back to light. _Uh oh_, he thought as he noticed a stark difference in the shade of her skin, comparing front and back. Only, this wasn't the good kind of browning she had been aiming for. There was an obvious line from where her back had been laying against the lounge chair that separated her milky, natural tone from that comparable to a boiled lobster's.

He saved his work and left his laptop on the outdoor table he had been using as his desk. _Better go save her back from a similar fate_. The sand was warm against his bare feet as he treaded over towards her prone form.

"Kaaaaate," he announced his presence in a teasing tone as he came to a stop near her head.

"Caaaastle," she answered back, acknowledging him, "go away. I fell asleep and spent a longer on my front than I was planning. Now I have to even it out and I only _just _turned over. Need a little longer before you can have your way with me."

"No can do, Sweetheart. Tell me, did you forget anything?" He chuckled down at her as she cracked a glaring eye up at him.

"What do you mean, _did I forget anything_? And don't call me Sweetheart." She shut her eye back closed as he shifted in the sand, no longer blocking the sun from her vision.

Castle knelt down by her side and ran his hand up the length of her spine. "_Sweetheart_, I'm afraid you forgot something quite important when it comes to laying in the sun." He bent down and kissed the nob where her shoulders met her neck.

She startled in realization, "No, no, no. _Castle_- sunscreen! Is it bad?" She sat up and looked down at herself to inspect the damage.

Castle laughed, "Looks pretty bad everywhere except the _really_ important bits." His hand came around from her back, following the line left by her bikini strap, to cup one still unharmed breast.

Kate pushed him back with a fist to his bicep, "Jerk." She quickly stood, gathering the towel she had between her and the chair to wrap around her exposed upper half. She then stepped around him to begin her trek back up to the house and out of the sun.

"Hey!" Castle ran to catch up to her, "I'm sorry. How about I make it up to you?" He grabbed the hand that she wasn't using to hold up her towel.

"And _how_ exactly do you plan on doing that?" She asked, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. _She's only pretending to be mad at me_.

"Well, how about I start by soothing your burnt skin by rubbing some nice, cooling aloe lotion into it?" He brought the hand he was holding up to his lips and kissed her knuckles one-by-one.

"Mmmm… and after?" She raised an eyebrow at him in askance as he scooped up his laptop and they walked through the doors back into the house.

"Well, my beautiful muse, then I was planning on soothing the other non-burnt bits with my open mouth like we discussed earlier." He pressed a searing kiss to her lips before pulling her towards the stairs up to the bedroom.

It took Kate a moment to get her teasing words out, "You better be _very_ thorough if you want my forgiveness."

"Oh, Kate, who am I to be _anything_ but thorough?"

_**This is no longer a one-shot, but instead a collection of one-shots. Hope you don't mind. Reviews are like warm Stana hugs! -RockChalkLove**_


	3. Chapter 3

Bored. _So_ bored. That's where he was. His one thought. Well, alright, he was thinking about a _little_ more than just that one word at the moment. For example, the woman next to him. He could think about her a whole lot; he had proved that to himself on a daily basis. However, when he had volunteered to accompany his muse/detective on this stakeout, he had pictured _much_ more excitement than he was experiencing at the moment and he really hated to admit it, but he just might have run out of thoughts to think of her at the moment.

Just twenty minutes after they had parked the cruiser on the street across for the perp's apartment, he had realized that sitting in a car late at night in a relatively quiet neighborhood was, frankly, dull. So he had begun observing the beauty in the seat next to him. The way she steadfastly kept her eyes trained on their target's building. The way she would take a break from fiddling her thumbs every few minutes to re-tuck the strands of her hair behind her ear. The _amazing_ way she was ignoring his blatant staring until she had suddenly barked a _"Castle"_ at him without a blink. That was his cue to stop the gazing.

Then he tried to start up a conversation with her. It was all too quiet in the small cabin of the sedan, and without the car on to power the radio, he needed some auditory stimulation. The "conversation", if that's what you would call it, was _completely _one-sided. It was like a game to her, shooting down his questions and topics by just answering _yes_ or _no_. Eventually, after covering everything from her purchases on her latest shopping trip to the weather, he simply ran out of subjects.

Feeling slightly unwelcome, he got comfortable in his seat, well, as comfortable as one could get with a spring poking them in the ass, and stared out the front windshield, becoming one with his thoughts – thoughts about her. No matter how she discouraged him, he was still always in awe with her. He revealed in her strength, her stubbornness, her compassion, the differences in the way she carried herself from when she was in interrogation and when their group would go out on a Friday night. Next his thoughts moved onto her figure, from the top of her gorgeous head of silky hair down to the tips of her toes that were usually buried in a pair of ridiculously tall high heels.

That's where he was now. He literally could not think of a part of her, physically or personality-wise, that he hadn't covered. Never had he ever thought that he would get to this point. He discreetly glanced over at her out of the corner of his eye to not attract her attention. A feeling of guilt ran through him at the fact that he had run out of observations about her. Not that she had any clue about this war he was waging with himself at the moment. Even if she did have the ability to read his mind, she was far too focused on the stakeout to sense it. He frowned and turned his gaze back out the front of the car.

That's when it happened. In the almost deafening silence of the car, she yawned. _Yawned_. As he turned and watched her cover up her gaping mouth with the back of her hand, he had the fleeting thought that maybe he really shouldn't be _this_ excited about a yawn. But this was not just any yawn. It was a majorI-am-_exhausted_ yawn.

He took her distraction with the yawn to take a really good look at her. That's when he noticed the deep blue bags under her eyes that profoundly contrasted with the paleness of her usually glowing skin. _Why did I not notice this earlier?_ She honestly looked drained. He thought back to the day that they had just experienced. It was pretty exciting compared to other days. That, paired with the late night he knew she had the night before, he couldn't blame her for The Yawn.

After about 15 seconds of straight yawning, her jaw finally relaxed and it was over. The strength of it had caused her eyes to water up and she used the hand that had been covering her mouth to wipe at them. She looked over at him and gave him a sheepish smile, "Sorry," she muttered and then turned her tired eyes back to the building's front door.

That's when he decided to make it his mission to help her. "Are you ok?" He reached one hand out to cradle her elbow.

She gave him a confused look, "What? Why would you ask that?"

He cleared his throat and removed his hand from her. _Maybe I should have approached this differently_. "I, uh, I just mean you're looking pretty tired." He shrugged one shoulder.

She snorted out a laugh and rolled her eyes at him, "Wow, Castle. You sure know how to charm a girl."

He winced. _Definitely should have approached this differently_. He looked away from her teasing eyes and wracked his brain for a new way to be her hero and help rid her of her fatigue.

"I haven't been this tired in a long time." She interrupted his thoughts with her quiet emission. He looked back over at her and couldn't believe she was exposing just how worn-out she was all over her face.

He gave her a sympathetic look, "Can I offer you my shoulder?"

"Always the gentleman, aren't we, Castle?" she said with a small smile. "Honestly, with the way I am feeling, at any other time I would probably take you up on that offer. We are on the job, though. I need to be alert in case this guy comes out of his apartment at any point."

"Kate, if you keep this up, you won't be alert for much longer," he reasoned. "Come on, I have excellent references in both my daughter _and_ mother on the pillow-like comfortableness of my shoulder, plus I promise I will be very attentive and wake you the _moment_ that there might be _any_ movement over there." He gave her his best puppy dog eyes.

Kate scrutinized him, unbelieving. That was the moment that another yawn hit.

"See? You need it, Kate. Just take half an hour and then I will stop bothering you about it." He wiggled his shoulder up and down a few times in sync with his eyebrows. "You won't regret it."

It took a beat, but suddenly she gave in, "Fine. Come here." She wrapped a hand around his bicep and tugged him closer before settling in against him and letting out a sigh in contentment. "Don't be so smug, Castle," she said at his grin. "You better let me know when 30 minutes pass, and if you don't keep your eyes on that building and your hands to yourself, I am not opposed to using my gun."

Castle smirked and tilted his body towards her to give her a better angle, "I won't let you down, Kate." It only took two minutes until he felt her body completely sag against him and a small snore was expelled from her mouth. _Hero status: complete._


	4. Chapter 4

She drifted into consciousness still feeling exhausted. She could sense the bright white light from behind her eyelids and made the quick decision to keep them closed. It was quiet, though. That was nice. After the last 27 hours she had gone through, she welcomed the silence.

Kate let out a slow breath of contentment. Despite the soreness that seemed to flow throughout her body, she was incredibly at ease. Everyone had told her that she would be hit with a feeling like nothing she had ever experienced before, but she was _not_ expecting anything quite this extreme. She was so, well, _in love_.

That was when a soft cry from her right caught her attention and her eyes opened on instinct to the harsh light before she could even think twice. As her eyes adjusted, she smiled at the sight of her husband crouched over in the uncomfortable chair, cradling their newborn son. _Beautiful_.

It was like he had no awareness of anything other than the blue-wrapped bundle in his arms, his eyes trained on the tiny face hidden from her by the blanket. She couldn't blame him. She briefly closed her eyes as the image of her son's face flooded her thoughts. How incredible it was when her doctor had placed him, pink and shrieking, on her sternum just seconds after Castle had cut his umbilical cord. Her heart seemed to grow and warm in her chest as the memory continued and the boy had quickly calmed and quieted when his round cheek had come to rest against the skin just above the neckline of the gown she was wearing, his big eyes unfocused and blinking up at her.

She opened her eyes in sudden desperation to see her baby's, her _son's_, face again. She shifted onto her side, wincing slightly, and finally gaining Castle's attention.

"Hey, Mama." Castle gave her that grin that had been known to make her weak in the knees. She didn't think her heart could take any more of this love that was pulsing through her veins for her two boys.

Kate reached out a hand across the expanse of sheet she had created, "Hey," she rasped, her voice tired from the long labor she had gone through to bring her son into the world, "How're you feeling, Daddy?"

He huffed out a laugh at her expense, "How am _I_ feeling? I should be asking you the same thing. You passed out as soon as the nurses and doctor cleared the room."

"You try pushing over 8 pounds of baby out of you and then tell me how tired you are." She pursed her lips at him at him in mock annoyance. Her menacing expression didn't last long; she couldn't seem to wipe the smile from her lips for more than a few seconds.

They fell into silence, studying each other. He looked almost as tired as she felt, but it was overshadowed by the elation seeming to radiate from his form. She met his gaze and choked out a gasp at the love for her that was pouring from his eyes.

"How's our little man doing?" She turned her attention to the newest person in the room. _Guess I should get used to this_, she thought knowing that her life would now forever be centered on the baby in Castle's arms.

Castle looked down upon the baby and adjusted him in his arms, "_Amazing_," he breathed out on a sigh, "Do you want to hold him?"

Kate smiled, realizing her husband was now in the same boat she was when it came to their son. "Honestly, I don't think I have the energy to even lift my arms," she admitted, "but I wouldn't mind if you came over here so I can see him." She patted the space in the bed next to her.

Castle wasted no time before standing and crossing the few feet that separated them from Kate's bed. As he settled down next to her, his side flush to her front, she cuddled up and rested her temple on his shoulder to get her first glimpse at her baby since the nurses had carried him off. Suddenly, her throat closed up around a sob and tears sprung into her eyes.

"Oh, oh _Castle_." Her memory hadn't done justice. He was perfect. Never had she seen anything more beautiful. She lifted her hand and ran her thumb down the slope of the baby's tiny nose and over his rosebud mouth.

She could already tell he was going to be a heartbreaker. From the tuft of dark hair that sprouted from the knitted cap covering his head to the long lashes that brushed his chubby cheeks with every slow blink as he stared back at his parents. _Just like his father_.

Castle turned his head and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Perfect," he said into the wisps of her hair that had escaped the braid Alexis had done for her when they had first arrived at the hospital, "just like his Mommy."

A couple of tears escaped her eyes and Castle shifted his lips down to kiss them away. "I love you." Kate mumbled as she caught his lips with hers.

"Man, having a baby sure has turned us into saps" Castle joked, trying to lighten the weight of the emotions that were consuming the moment.

Kate chuckled as she turned her head to its previous resting place against him and back to the now sleeping baby.

They laid there, again in silence, observing their son. Kate found her eyes suddenly too heavy for her to hold open. She didn't want to lose sight of her baby again, though, and fought against the pull of gravity. Soon, however, she couldn't battle it anymore and her eyes sealed themselves shut.

"You know, he still needs a name." she heard Castle state.

"Hmmmm…" Kate hummed in agreement, but couldn't bring herself to further the conversation.

She felt Castle press his lips to her skin, "Sleep, Kate." It was the last thing she heard before sinking back into a restful sleep.

_**A short one to hopefully make your day. Your reviews make mine. –RockChalkLove**_


	5. Chapter 5

"Hey!" Castle grinned at Kate's greeting as he swung the door to his loft open in response to her knock. He widened the door to let her step through, "I'm glad you made it!" As she slipped by him into the loft, he couldn't help but catch the scent of her. _Different from earlier at the precinct_. It delighted him knowing that she has taken the time between leaving work and heading over to his place to primp a little for their movie date tonight. Movie _hangout?_ He wasn't completely sure what this was, honestly. They weren't dating per say, but they had definitely gotten closer, more than "just partners", over the last month. Best of all, the closeness wasn't just emotionally, but also physically. They had each been getting more and more daring with the touching. A brush of fingers over exchanges of coffees, sitting a little closer to each other on the edge of her desk as they studied the murder board, thighs pressed together; he was very much enjoying these developments.

Castle's eyes strayed down her form as she bent at the waist to pull off the ridiculously high heels she had chosen to wear into the precinct today. With all the running around the city they did on a daily basis, he honestly didn't know how she did it. Not that he minded, though, as his eyes stopped their perusal to land on her ass. "Castle, will you stop staring?" _Busted_, he thought as he jerked to attention.

"What makes you think I was staring, Detective?" Castle smiled to himself as he came up close behind her and slid his palms up her arms and to her shoulders to help her out of her coat. Her breath shuddered slightly at the bold contact and he mentally patted himself on the back for the move. He had decided the moment that she had agreed to his invitation for tonight that he wasn't going to hold himself back anymore. She didn't seem to mind the attention, so when the urge for contact overcame him, he was going to act on it.

In the time it took for him to slip the jacket down and off her arms, she was able to regain her composure and answer, "When you get that quiet, Castle, I know something it up." She turned and gave him a knowing look.

He laughed and set her jacket down before laying a hand on her lower back, "You know me too well," he hummed as a faint blush settled on her cheeks, he had the feeling she was starting to catch on to his plans for tonight. He started to lead her towards the couch. "Now, I have everything all set up. Would you like something to drink before we start? Wine? Water?"

"Wine sounds wonderful. Whatever you have already open will be fine." Kate settled herself down into the couch, closer to the middle than anything else. Castle took this as a sign that she was giving him permission to proceed with the contact and left her to pour the wine in the kitchen.

"Are you ready for your very first Castle Movie Night?" He handed her one of the two glasses before sitting down right against her.

Kate rolled her eyes at him, "You say that like it is different from any other movie night."

Castle smirked and snuck his arm around her, "Oh, you'll see, Beckett. This will be the best movie night you've ever experienced." She shifted in his embrace to angle herself away from him with her head cradled by the place where his arm met his shoulder and the couch. She let out a sigh of contentment when she found the perfect position and he took his cue to press play on the movie.

They watched in silence for the opening credits before Castle took advantage of the bare skin of her upper arm. His hand shifted down from her shoulder to just below where the sleeve of her t-shirt ended and began shifting his thumb back and forth against her. Soon, his index finger joined in with the lightest of figure eights. Despite her almost piercing concentration on the movie, the goose bumps that bloomed on her arm gave her enjoyment of his caresses away.

After twenty or so minutes of this, he decided it was time to move on and surprise her yet again. He stopped his ministrations and came to rest his hand back on her cotton-covered shoulder. Kate didn't dissatisfy when she released a long, slow, almost frustrated breath at the halt of his fingers. Not one to disappoint, Castle's other hand crossed his body to rest on her knee. From there, he began similar strokes as he had been doing with his other hand.

Realizing his attention had completely shifted from the movie and to the Detective in his arms, Castle decided to officially make it his mission to shift her attention, too. With a longer length of canvas to work with, the tips of his fingers began tripping higher and higher up the span of her thigh. He would let them travel up an extra inch every few minutes before lowering them back down another half an inch to twirl around in random patterns. It didn't take long before he had made it past the half-way point on his traversal and she suddenly squirmed. _Got her._ He let out an accidental chuckle in celebration of his victory.

"Cas-tle," she sing-songed, "are you trying to… put the moves on me?" Kate turned her head to meet his gaze with a teasing look.

Castle stopped his journey up her leg and rested his palm heavily on her upper-thigh, causing her eyes to widen a fraction in astonishment and… _arousal_?

"And if I am?" He began leaning towards her, closing the few inches between them. Kate's eyes dropped down to his lips and back up again, a war between excitement and nervousness shining in her eyes. She stayed silent without answer to his question.

Her eyes suddenly blinked closed in decision and her breathing quickened. A kiss wasn't part of his plan, however; he wanted to tease her just a little longer. Castle stopped just short of her lips and allowed his breath to wash over them instead. It took about five seconds before her eyes popped open in frustration and he made his move. In one swift motion, he placed a pillow on the arm of the couch on the other side of her, moved the hand on her leg to wrap around the other, and flipped her around so that her head was cushioned on the pillow and her legs lay across his lap.

"Castle!" she gasped out at the sudden shift in position. He smirked at her and lifted one of her hands to his lips and planted a kiss against her knuckles in order to make up for the kiss she was expecting. Her face turned bright red and she lowered her eyes in embarrassment.

"Can I ask you a question?" Castle asked as he scooped up one of her feet and pressed his thumbs into the arch.

Kate let out a low moan at this and closed her eyes in pleasure. After a minute of his continued rubbing, she lazily blinked them back open and nodded at him in answer.

"How do you manage to do your job in four-inch heels?" He cocked his head towards the entryway where she had left the said shoes.

Kate let out a laugh and grinned at him, "I'll never reveal my secrets."

"Beckett, I assure you, I will find a way to get it out of you." He wiggled his eyebrows in suggestion, making her laugh again. This one, however, quickly turned into another moan and his knuckles kneaded into a particularly tight muscle.

"We'll see." She sighed out. They kept each other's gazes for a handful of minutes before he switched to her other foot and she turned her attention back to the movie.

Castle continued to switch from foot to foot, feeling her fully relax into the couch. As he contemplated his next move, he glanced over at her to find her eyes closed yet again. "Kate?" He called quietly to see if she was sleeping or just in a spell due to his massage. _Sleeping_, he determined when she didn't answer. He rested her feet back into his lap and shifted a hand back to her thigh to take up the lazy patterns of his fingers again. Next time, it _would_ be a date and he definitely wasn't going to hold back anymore.

_**Happy Star Wars Day, everyone! I've really appreciated all of your responses to this collection and would love to hear more! -RockChalkLove**_


	6. Chapter 6

A key turning in the lock startled him from his computer game. He was supposed to have the night to himself. Alexis was of course at school, his mother had a "hot date" and had left him with specific instructions to not wait up, and after spending the last week's worth of nights together at the loft, Kate had decided to spend some quality time with her apartment. That's why he had bunkered down after leaving Kate at the precinct to spend some quality time with his favorite zombie game.

Castle stood, setting his laptop on his desk, and started to make his way out of the office as the door shut behind whomever had walked in. "Hello?" Castle called out as he stepped through the office's entry way and into the main room.

"Hey," Kate quietly called back as they settled eyes on each other. She was just finishing hanging her coat up in the closet when he stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

Castle placed a kiss at her jaw, "What are you doing here?" he mumbled into her skin. She let out a moan as he nuzzled his nose into her neck, soaking up the scent that was purely Kate.

"I got a headache just after you left. Didn't really want to be alone anymore tonight." She grinned and pressed back into him, "I thought you would be willing to take care of me."

Castle laughed against her and placed another kiss just behind her ear. "More than willing." They stood like that in the entry way for a few minutes, him loving on her neck and her tilting her head to give him the room to do so.

"Have you eaten dinner yet?" Castle asked as he turned her in his arms and pressed his lips to hers.

"Mmmmm," she breathed into the kiss as they separated, "Ryan brought me a sandwich from the deli down the block from the precinct. I only ate half of it, though." Castle brought her hand up to cradle the back of her head, kneading gently just under the knob at the back of her skull. Kate closed her eyes and melted into him.

"Tell you what," Castle said, pecking her lips again, "Why don't you take a couple of pain relievers and run yourself a bath and I'll fix you a plate of something we have in the fridge?"

Kate opened her eyes and smiled lazily up at him, "Did you know you are the best boyfriend ever?"

He barked out a laugh, "I do my best," he teased as his hand ran down her back to palm her ass. Kate swatted him away and gave him one last kiss before walking towards the master bedroom, giving him a show with a little extra sway in her hips. Castle shook his head at her retreating form and turned to head for the kitchen.

As he riffled through the fridge in search of something to curb her appetite, he contemplated their relationship. Their last seven months together had been _amazing_. He didn't think it was possible to love her more when they had first gotten together, but he found himself falling deeper and deeper with every passing day. He rolled his eyes at his own cheesiness. All of this had led up to him wanting to move the relationship up a level. The problem was, he wasn't sure what that level she would be willing to step up to.

He had already gotten her a ring; it was currently hidden the back of his sock drawer. Castle didn't believe that she was quite ready for that yet, but they were definitely headed there. So he backed up a level, the _move in with me_ level. They were spending just about every night together, even nights that they were supposed to be spending apart. Two years ago if they were spending that much time together, he was sure that she would have killed him, but now, it just made their relationship stronger.

He gathered the ingredients for a grilled cheese and got down to making it. If he was going to ask her to move in, then how was he going to bring it up? He could woo her and take her out to dinner and make it all romantic, but that really wasn't their style. More intimate- that's how she preferred these things. Maybe he could make her dinner and ask her then? He flipped the sandwich to brown the other side.

That's when it hit him. He _was _making her dinner. Now. _No time like the present._ Bath time is intimate, right? He could feed her the grilled cheese as she soaked in the tub and broach the subject then. He nodded in approval to himself as he turned off the burner and plated the sandwich. _Well, here goes nothing._

Castle made his way back though his, soon to hopefully be _their_, bedroom and into the bathroom. "Hey, Kate I made you a grilled cheese. I hope you're ok with-," he stopped mid-sentence as he caught sight of her, slumped over, head pillowed on a towel folded over the lip of the tub, fast asleep.

He set the plate on the counter and sat down, facing her, on the edge of the tub. He studied her relaxed features and he felt that tale-tell feeling of falling deeper yet again. He reached over and stroked a lone strand of hair out of her face and curled it behind her ear.

Kate roused and nuzzled into his hand, "Hey," she whispered.

"Hey," he chuckled, "You feeling any better?"

She blinked her eyes open, "I fell asleep…" She closed her eyes again in exhaustion.

"Yeah, you did." He continued to stroke the skin at her temple, "It looks like you're falling back asleep now."

"No!" She jerked awake and then promptly relaxed back towards sleep, "No…" She wrapped her hand around his wrist as if to hold herself in the conscious world.

He chuckled at her cuteness, "Come on, Sweetheart. Time for bed." He wrapped an arm around her back and pulled her up from her resting place before turning to grab a towel for her.

"No… no Sweetheart," she mumbled, "you know I don't like that." She held up her arms for him to wrap the towel around her body. He grinned and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

After buttoning his shirt he had worn earlier that day onto her form, he settled her down into her side of the bed, already dosing. He sighed at the lost opportunity to ask her to never leave his home.

"I love you…" she sighed in her sleep.

Castle smiled and repeated the confession back at her. _There will always be tomorrow._

_**You all are the best. Reviews are much appreciated. -RockChalkLove**_


	7. Chapter 7

She was irritated. Fuming. _Seething_. Why are men so stupid? Especially pig headed, pompous asses like the man who claimed he was her partner. _Psh, partner_. Not anymore. What an idiot. How could he do this to her?

Kate shut her front door a little harder than necessary behind her as she stepped into her apartment. Who could blame her, though? She had every right to be angry with him. _Jerk._ After setting her things down, she quickly stuffed her gun into the drawer she usually stored it in. _Better put that away before I decide to use it_.

Her body dropped down onto her couch and she sighed out a deep breath. She needed to calm down. She had tomorrow off and that meant she could wholeheartedly avoid him for a whole 36 hours. Kate felt her muscles relax one-by-one as she mulled on that thought.

That's when her phone started buzzing from her pocket. She groaned in annoyance and fished it out from underneath herself. As she looked at the screen to figure out who had chosen to interrupt her doze, another groan erupted from her throat. _Castle_. She glared at the phone and stabbed at the screen to end the call before it could end itself.

It wasn't the first time he had called her since she had kicked him out of the precinct 4 hours ago. To be accurate, she officially had collected a total of 10 missed calls from him and 3 voicemails. She was _not_ going to talk to him, though, no matter how persistent he was trying to be. He did not deserve her forgiveness.

Her phone alerted her to another new voicemail. She huffed and set it down on her coffee table before heading to the kitchen to make herself some dinner. After another two phone calls while she cut up her vegetables for her stir fry, she flipped on her radio to drown out the sound of metal vibrating against wood.

By the time her food was cooked, consumed, and she went to collect her phone to go back to her bedroom, she had collected another 5 missed calls, one from Ryan and plus a new voicemail from Lanie. She sighed and called up the message.

_Hey girl. Look, your writer boy is driving me crazy. According to him you two got into some sort of fight and he has been trying to reach you ever since. He starting to worry, and I'm sure you are completely fine and are just taking some time for yourself, but can you just let him know that? He has resorted to demanding that I call you to check up and I am trying to have a night with my man. Call me tomorrow with the details!_

Her voicemail beeped as it switched to the next message. She pulled her phone away from her ear before she could hear Castle's voice. _Maybe I should just listen._ Kate bit her lip and scrolled to the first un-listened-to message on the list.

_Beckett, it's Castle. You didn't have to throw me out of the 12__th__ like that. Do you have any clue how many looks I got after you chewed me out in the break room? Gah! Why do you always have to blow everything out of proportion! _

Her nose wrinkled at the blatant fury in his voice. _Guess he is just as angry as I am._ She pursed her lips in irritation and considered skipping all his other messages when the thing beeped and quickly started to play the next message.

_Kate. Ok, so maybe I overreacted a little bit. Not that you didn't overreact, too. We were both at fault, and I'm willing to apologize if you'll just talk to me about what happened. Just, call me back, alright?_

Kate sighed. _Yeah he was at fault_. There was no way, however, that she was in the mood to _talk_ about it. She needed time to figure out exactly what she was going to say to him. The last message started to play.

_Kate? I know you're mad, but will you please answer my calls? I'm starting to worry. Ok, well, I'll try you back in a few minutes. _

She frowned at how quickly it seemed like he had forgiven her for yelling at him in front of the whole precinct. She didn't have much time to think about potentially forgiving him before her phone began ringing in her palm again. _Again?!_

She needed the night. She'd call him back in the morning. His diligence was really getting to her. Kate ended the call and turned the phone to silent before stuffing it into the drawer of her nightstand. Ten minutes later, she was in bed and drifting off to sleep trying not to think of her writer.

A few hours later, she was startled awake by the distinct sounds of someone stepping on the creaky floorboard in the entrance of her bedroom. Kate bolted up, still half asleep, and flicked on the lamp near her head.

"_Castle?_" She shrieked at the sight of him looming over her.

"You're… you're ok." He was out of breath and sounded disbelieving.

Kate gaped at him. "I'm _ok?_ What the hell are you doing in my bedroom at… 2:00 in the morning?"

Castle shifted on his feet and a light pink bloomed across his cheeks, "You weren't answering your phone. Lanie and Ryan couldn't even get a hold of you. I've been trying to reach you all night and I couldn't find you at the precinct…" He trailed off and shrugged.

"So you just thought you would break into my apartment." She waved her hands angrily toward him.

His palms went up in front of him in an act of defense, "I didn't _break in_. I used the spare key you gave me in case of emergencies!"

Kate couldn't believe he was standing in front of her like this. For the second time in the last 8 hours, rage bloomed through her. She jumped up from her perch in her bed and shoved him. "You are such an asshole." She shoved him again for good measure.

Castle grabbed her wrists in his hands to stop her from the pushing. "I'm sorry, ok? Seriously, we are fighting over the stupidest thing! Will you please stop for a second and realize that?"

Kate stopped fighting against his grip and looked up at him. _He's right_, she thought to herself, _this is stupid and so not worth it._ "Fine."

He released her and their eyes met, sharing a silent conversation. It lasted for a few minutes before he suddenly lowered his, quickly glanced away, and nervously cleared his throat. Kate frowned up at him before realizing what had distracted him from their stare-off. She was standing a mere 6 inches from him in her normal sleep outfit: a camisole and her underwear.

Kate blushed and took a step back, suddenly quite self-conscious, "Look, I'll call you tomorrow, ok? Maybe we can meet for lunch or something and talk."

Castle nodded, "Yeah, I'll uh, I'll talk to you tomorrow." He snuck one last glance at her half-naked form before tuning and leaving her apartment.

"_Men."_ Kate muttered as she got back into bed. _Can't stand them, but they can't live without you._

_**Posting a little early this week because I am graduating this weekend! Goodbue college, hello real world. –RockChalkLove**_ar her head.

he creaky floorboard in the entrance of her bedroom. Kate bolted up, still half a


	8. Chapter 8

A buzzing to his right woke him. Castle took in a deep breath as he drifted into consciousness, his hand rising to his face to sweep over his sleep-weary eyes. As he lowered his arm back to the bed, it glanced across a smooth span of warm skin. _Must be early_, he thought at the fact that Kate was still in bed, _mmhhh… more snuggle time_.

Castle turned onto his side and brought Kate's side to press into his front. She shifted in her sleep and cuddled into his warmth. A silence overcame the room as they both settled and Castle buried his nose behind the shell of her ear, enjoying the sweet smell of her and the peace.

Today was their six month anniversary. She had been his for half a year and he couldn't have been more proud. They were doing so well, so in love. Not that they had admitted it to one another since he had desperately blurted it to stop her from pursuing her mother's case. He knew it was coming, though. They were constantly having those moments where they would just stop whatever they were doing and stare into one another's eyes, the phrase sitting on the tip of their tongues, but never slipping past their lips.

Their friends would call them 'pathetic' or 'adorable' or, in the handful of instances where they found themselves in the love haze in the middle of the precinct with the boys standing right alongside them, 'disgusting'. Castle loved those times when they were caught, though, because every time, without fail, it would cause a blooming of red across her cheeks.

Castle pressed his lips against the corner of her jaw at the same moment the buzzing started up again. The corners of his mouth turned down into a frown at the intrusion to the moment. _Stupid phone._ He briefly wondered who was trying to contact them at such an early hour before mentally rolling his eyes at his own stupidity. She received calls at all hours of the day and night about murders, it was her job.

When Kate yet again failed to wake to the notification of her phone, he decided to take it upon himself to be the one to disturb their warm cocoon and see what was so urgent. After pressing another quick kiss to her jaw and breathing in one last whiff of her, he rose up on one elbow and reached across her for the phone. Just as his hand came in contact with the device, he caught sight of the clock on her nightstand.

"Shit." It was 10:00 and they, well _she_, was way late. Castle abandoned the phone and switched over to waking Kate.

"Kate," he called, running his palm from her shoulder down around across her stomach, "Sweetheart, you need to get up…"

Kate grunted and opened her eyes to glare at him. "No _Sweetheart,_" she murmured before rolling over and rubbing her face into the pillow.

Castle chuckled at her hatred of the moniker and decided to try another tactic that he knew had 100% success in getting her to wake up. His lips pressed against the sweet spot on the side of her neck that made her squirm and his tongue followed quickly behind to come out and lave against the delicate skin.

"Castle!" She shrieked out, wriggling away from him. She turned towards him and gave him another glare, "Why can't you just let me sleep until my alarm for once? Didn't you get enough of my attention last night?"

"_Sweetheart,_" he drew out to get a rise out of her, "I would have let you sleep until your alarm, but unfortunately someone forgot to actually set her alarm last night."

Kate's eyes widened comically and she suddenly sprung up and around to grab her phone from behind her. "I should have been up hours ago, Castle! This is all your fault!"

"_My _fault?" He exclaimed as she jumped out of bed and scurried towards the bathroom.

Kate stopped in the doorway and turned to point an accusing finger his way, "_Someone_ jumped me almost as soon as I walked in the door last night and wouldn't leave me alone until I passed out last night. Therefore, it is _your_ fault I didn't turn on my alarm last night." At that, she spun on her heal and firmly shut the door behind her.

"You were just as involved in the _jumping_ as I was last night!" He called out to her to get the last word. When he didn't receive a response he grinned in success, did a small victory dance, and decided to get up to have her coffee ready for when she inevitably ran out the door.

About two minutes after he screwed the cap on her travel mug, the commotion that was a late Kate came rushing out of the bedroom, partially hopping as she attempted to slip one heal on at the same time. Castle met her at the door with the mug held out and a smile on his face.

"I'll see you in about an hour?" He asked as she accepted the coffee.

"Mmm," she took a sip of coffee, finally getting the shoe on her foot, and nodded, "Yeah, sounds good." Kate leaned forward and gave him a quick peck, "Bye babe. Love ya." And with that, she was out the door.

Castle stood there in slight shock, still holding the door open after her. _Did she really just…?_ He was about to stick his head out into the hallway to call after her when she suddenly appeared before him, a shocked expression on her face.

They stood there, on either side of the doorway, staring at each other in silence. Castle watched as a myriad of emotions crossed over her face before it seemed like one of determination finally settled.

The silence still continued, however, until Castle made the decision to break it, "Kate?"

"I do." She blurted immediately. Castle's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to clarify what she meant, but just before any sound could be emitted, Kate went on, "I-, I do love you."

A wide smile spread across Castle's face. _Finally, this is happening. She _loves_ me._ He got lost in his inner celebration until an uncertain shift of Kate's eyes alerted him to his quietness. "I love you, too, Kate. So much."

It took a whole two seconds before Kate launched herself forward and fused her lips to his. Teeth and tongues clashed until the need for air overcame their passion. They slowly pulled back and paused nose to nose as they shared the relief of oxygen and met each other's gaze.

"I'm really late now." Kate let out on a breath. There was no move from her, however, to leave Castle's arms. They each let out a low chuckle and Castle momentarily tightened his arms around her waist for a quick hug before reluctantly releasing her.

"I'll see you soon." Castle said as he pushed her towards the door.

Kate nodded, seemingly a little dazed, and backed out into the hallway, "Soon." With that, she broke their stare and made her way towards the elevator.

Castle huffed out a laugh at her expense and quickly poked his head out the door, finding her just coming to a stop in front of the elevator. He called out to gain her attention, "Hey!" Kate startled, almost dropping her coffee, and turned towards him. "Love you," he said, no more hesitation within him towards the phrase.

An elated smile made its way onto Kate's face and she let out a tiny giggle that was so unlike her that it stole his breath for a moment. She gave him a wink and disappeared into the elevator, "Love you, Castle."

_**Thank you to all of you who have kept up with this fic! Love to hear your comments! -RockChalkLove**_


End file.
